Electrical guide
General home inspectors do a useful job, but electrical is one area where the report often says recommend evaluation by a qualified electrician and leaves you to work out how worried to be. Here is what to look at yourself before you get that far.
Open the cover panel door and read the label. Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco are the two names that change your negotiating position. Budget $1,300 to $2,200 for a replacement.
The main breaker tells you: 60, 100, 150 or 200 amps. A 60 or 100 amp service in a house you plan to add an EV or a heat pump to means an upgrade is coming.
Look for ceramic knobs (knob and tube), cloth sheathing, or the word ALUMINUM or AL stamped on the cable jacket of small branch circuits.
Count them. Widespread two-prong outlets mean ungrounded wiring throughout.
Check bathrooms, kitchen counters, garage, exterior and basement. Missing GFCIs are cheap to add and a reasonable ask of the seller.
A modern kitchen needs at least two 20 amp small-appliance circuits, plus dedicated circuits for the dishwasher, disposal and microwave. Older kitchens frequently run everything on one.
Junction boxes without covers, wire nuts hanging in the crawlspace, extension cords stapled to joists, outlets that wobble. Visible informal work usually implies invisible informal work.
Outside, look where the utility line meets the house. Rust, a leaning mast, or a drip loop that does not drip away from the head are all repairs.
Current expectation is one in every bedroom, one outside each sleeping area, and one per floor, interconnected and hardwired.
Ask the seller for permits on any electrical work done. An addition or a finished basement with no electrical permit on record is worth an evaluation before closing, not after.
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